Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors—every Junior Statesmen of America member of Miami Lakes Educational Center can agree that Winter Congress 2018 in Washington, D.C. was a trip to remember. Chaperoned by JSA sponsor Mrs. Mezawi, as well as Mrs. Whitby and the Vernons, the political debate club experienced a four-day weekend of sightseeing, learning, and intense debate.
On February 15, MLEC Jaguars were up bright and early at 4:00 a.m. at Miami International Airport, ready to take on the nation’s capital and ready to enjoy a weekend of adventure with hundreds of students from other states. The first stop was Pentagon City Mall to eat and reenergize.
Members of @MLECJSA are enjoying a tour through the Library of Congress, and learning about the history of every room. #MidSoHioWC18@HarbingerMLEC @MLECJaguars pic.twitter.com/AS2XjNryj1
— Daylin Delgado (@daylindelgado) February 15, 2018
That first day Jaguars visited the Library of Congress to learn about its history, including the process of copyrights and publications, and ever growing collection. They also visited the Capitol Building, where some students begrudgingly threw away their snacks in order to enter the building, to learn about the several statues gifted by states, learn about the reasons for the building’s original design, and listen to cringeworthy puns from their tour guide. Their last stop that day was the National Archives Museum where they saw the nation’s most important documents in their original, preserved print.
Getting to know the city & all its people #MidSoHioWC18 pic.twitter.com/9tduuVQ28F
— Alex (@ReboredoAlex) February 19, 2018
https://twitter.com/ValeriaBulaaa/status/965705186869219328
The next day Jaguars dressed up for a tour of the White House; the self-guided tour allowed them to take selfies in every bright colored room and walked down the very halls presidents walk during their time in office. Their next stop was the FBI Building where each student received a “My FBI Experience” lanyard before being released into endless hallways of information and activities that related to famous investigations and activities often used during FBI training. Finally, the students split up into groups, with one of the chaperones leading each of the groups, depending on which Smithsonian Museum they wanted to visit.
The flag at the U.S. Supreme Court is flying at half-mast in light of the #StonemanShooting pic.twitter.com/6Jc6Pq9rBW
— Alex (@ReboredoAlex) February 16, 2018
A corner for different protests is set up right across from the White House. #MidSoHioWC18 pic.twitter.com/hYLoGtjQOm
— Daylin Delgado (@daylindelgado) February 16, 2018
On Saturday, Jaguars faced the fiery political passions of other students in their debate rooms but also faced the bone-chilling cold of snowfall. For many of the students, it would be the first time they speak in front of large crowds as well as the first time they see snow. However, the snow hardly competed with the excitement of debating bills and policies of every nature, from the hot button issue of abortion to the lesser debated topic of defunding the United Nations.
That night Jaguars went on the Midnight Monuments Tour, each and every one bundling up to trudge through slippery sidewalks to have their breath taken away by the beauty of the monuments at night. It was easy to forget the cold weather as they ran around looking for the perfect angles and locations for pictures and videos.
Sunday seemed to be the saddest day of all: Jaguars woke up early to finish packing before heading to the final debates. They would likely admit to being more concerned about needing to leave their new friends and the beautiful city that felt like home than what was being said at the final sessions of the conventions.
They knew they would soon need to leave with memories of singing and dancing with their friends, planning to watch movies until late with their roommates but ultimately falling asleep from exhaustion, getting lost in the immense Double Tree Hilton Hotel on their way to their debate rooms, and running through the cold to get to the mall before they began to freeze in their business attire.
